Breach #1

January 3, 2005

Quick Rating: Dull. Typical. Seen it all before.
Title: Otherside

A strange experiment transforms a good soldier.

Writer: Bob Harras
Pencils: Marcos Martin
Inks: Alvaro Lopez
Colors: Javier Rodriguez
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Marcos Martin
Publisher: DC Comics

On the whole, DC Comics deserves a lot of credit for trying out new properties these last few years. While they may not be tearing up the sales charts, books like The Monolith and Bloodhound are intriguing, clever takes on “typical” comic book subjects, and have made for some of the best comics out there that people aren’t reading. Contrast that, if you will, to their newest offering. If there is an original idea anywhere in Breach, I’ve got to break out the magnifying glass and forensics team to find it.

We start off nearly a year in the future, after some undefined disaster somewhere in Siberia, where a mysterious man in white and red with strange, vague powers has given up on humanity. Flash back, then to 1983, where our story begins. While planning for his son’s birthday, Major Tim Zanetti is also working on one of those top-secret military experiments that happen in comic books all the time. This of course causes one of those horrible accidents that wouldn’t have happened if Only We Hadn’t Decided to Play God, as happens in comic books all the time. Zanetti undergoes a horrible transformation and is put under sedation by the government – as happens in comic books all the time. Oh yes, and in case we didn’t catch the message, conveniently-placed news media reports in three different time periods remind us that the military is evil.

To be honest, I really can’t remember if I’ve ever read anything written by Bob Harras before. I know he was a bigwig at Marvel Comics for several years, but he fell off the radar after that before landing this property with DC. Unfortunately, it’s not much of an idea. I felt like I’ve read this story time and again – and usually better.

On the art side, Marcos Martin and Alvaro Lopez serve up a very satisfying package. They get called upon to draw a lot of high-tech, sci-fi gadgets, and do a good job of it, and their design for the mysterious figure at the beginning/in the future is actually quite good.

Still, the art isn’t enough to elevate an incredibly tired and overdone storyline. I don’t see this book finding an audience.

Rating: 3/10

Catwoman (2002 Series) #34

August 22, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Cold Hard Facts (War Games Act One Part Seven)

The Gang War threatens to engulf Gotham’s East End… and Catwoman’s not going to let that happen.

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Paul Gulacy
Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: Laurie Kronenberg
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Paul Gulacy & Jimmy Palmiotti
Publisher: DC Comics

“War Games” continues to impress with this issue, a major one in the storyline that again succeeds in telling part of the overall whole without losing the individual feel of the title. When the Gang War spreads to Gotham City’s East End, Catwoman’s area of town, she takes it upon herself to put the soldiers down before any innocent people get hurt. You see a lot of Catwoman’s methods in this issue, including a more brutal handling of some of the mobsters than Batman would likely approve of, plus a rundown of the rules by which she runs her section of town.

There are two more major sequences in the book – Catwoman speaks to Leslie Thompkins, the doctor who took Bruce Wayne in after his parents were murdered, and is astonished to find she blames herself for the violence engulfing the city. Leslie isn’t the only one carrying around culpability, though, and the end of this issue answers some of the major questions that have been shadowing this storyline since day one.

Gulacy’s artwork is in top form this issue, including a great car chase/shootout scene at the very beginning that works very well to show how tough a contender Catwoman really is. He does have some problems with scenes of Catwoman and an unexpected companion at the end once the two of them are out of their masks – he does a very good job of them in costume, posing, choreographing, but once the masks are off the faces are a bit too angular, too pointed, and don’t look quite natural.

Overall, a fine issue, and an important one. If you’re getting all of the War Games chapters, this issue will be waiting for you anyway. If you’re only planning to get some of the crossovers, though, rest assured, you need this issue. With the exception of last week’s Robin, it’s the biggest one yet.

Rating: 8/10

Batman: Gotham Knights #54

May 12, 1004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Pushback Book Five

Green Arrow joins the hunt for Prometheus.

Writer: A.J. Lieberman
Pencils: Al Barrionuevo & Javier Pina
Inks: Francis Portela & Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Lee Bermejo
Publisher: DC Comics

It’s interesting that the most frequent criticism of Lieberman’s writing on this title is that he doesn’t have a very good handle on The Joker, then he turns out an issue like this, which is basically a retelling of the Joker’s origin according to Alan Moore. The Joker has spent 12 years trying to find the man who murdered his wife, and now that the information is at his fingertips, he pauses to reflect on how he got where he is.

Which is really where the problem comes in – the Joker is simply not a reflective character. He’s never been the sort to pontificate about the past – he’s about the now, the chaos, the turmoil he can create in the present. Past and future have never help much import for him. If finding his wife’s murderer is so important to him, why has he spent the past twelve years creating smiling fish and trapping Batman in enormous jack-in-the-boxes? Reading the issue the way it’s written paints the Joker’s entire career up to this point is the comic book equivalent of O.J. looking for the real killers.

Again, I really like Barrionuevo’s artwork on this title – he does a great Batman and Robin and has a good handle on the villains, who are really the stars of the piece. He shares penciling duties with Javier Pina this issue, but their styles are either very similar or Pina has adapted his style to mesh with Barrionuevo’s, because the transitions are seamless. I really can’t tell where one artist departs and the other comes in.

Lieberman’s initial Gotham Knights arc has been pretty much average throughout. He’s got skill at certain things, but has chosen to focus this storyline on things he’s just not as good at. Hopefully after “Pushback” concludes next issue, he’ll shift the focus of the book back to the Batman family, because I think that will be his best chance to really shine.

Rating: 6/10

Batman: Death and the Maidens #9

June 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Great

The Demon’s Head is dead! Long live the Demon’s Head!

Writer: Greg Rucka
Art: Klaus Janson
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Klaus Janson
Publisher: DC Comics

If you passed up on this title, thinking it was just another irrelevant Batman miniseries, you made a grave mistake. This is one of those rare miniseries events that actually makes a major, lasting change to the mythos of an iconic superhero. This title makes an enormous change to the world of Batman. Last issue, Ra’s Al Ghul engaged his daughter, Nyssa in a brutal fight to the death. This issue, the victor becomes clear, and although Rucka pretty much choreographed the ending of this issue before this miniseries even hit the stands, I won’t spoil it here.

Rucka is one of the best Batman writers in years, and it is only fitting that he cap off his tenure with the character with a serious shakeup and a chilling new threat. This is the sort of comic book that doesn’t come around every day, especially with long-running and well-established characters. It’s a comic that means something and changes things. He keeps his fine characterization of our heroes, like Batman and Alfred, and makes vast, logical changes to some other characters. Even Batman himself is changed by this miniseries, with the perspective of his relationship with his late parents altered. It’s a good, logical step, but unfortunately, I’m afraid it’s the sort of step that will be wiped out the next time someone wants to write a good “Batman brooding over his mother” issue.

Janson isn’t on top of his form this issue. The fight scenes work well and the cover is lovely, but he has some problems with anatomy, particularly a scene with Talia displaying proportions that would make a Barbie doll tip over laughing.

This has been a really great miniseries that hasn’t gotten very much attention since the initial push to launch it. People should have flocked to this one, because it has been a solid story and it’s one that leaves the playing field of Batman’s life very different than it was when it began. If you didn’t read this, getting the last issue won’t convey how powerful a story it was. Get the trade paperback.

Rating: 9/10

Catwoman (2002 Series) #30

April 24, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: End of the Line

No more teasing – Catwoman and Zeiss go for blood!

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Paul Gulacy
Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: Laurie Kronenberg
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Paul Gulacy & Jimmy Palmiotti
Publisher: DC Comics

It’s been some time since Zeiss carved up Catwoman’s pal Slam Bradley, and Ed Brubaker has been dancing around the inevitable confrontation between the two characters ever since. Things finally come to a head in this issue in what amounts to almost a full-length fight scene, with the two of them tearing through Gotham City as they try to tear each other apart.

The book isn’t 100 percent action, though, as the fight scenes are punctuated by flashback sequences to the origin of the brutal killer Zeiss. Brubaker deserves credit here for recognizing something that not enough writers understand – if you need to give us some background information, a flashback sequence is always preferable to stilted expository dialogue that lurches us out of the scene.

Interestingly, last issue I was starting to get the feeling that this story arc was dragging on too long and hoping that this would be the conclusion. Instead, Brubaker sends us on a roller coaster to a last-page cliffhanger that has me anxious for the next issue.

While I can understand that Paul Gulacy’s artwork isn’t everyone’s favorite, I think he does a solid job on this title. There’s a lot of action in this issue, and more than a little blood. Gulacy does a fine job portraying each panel in mid-punch or halfway through a backflip. Close-ups of Zeiss with his freaky goggles are nice and creepy. The art isn’t perfect – the faces of some of the supporting characters look a little tacked-on and it took me a few panels to recognize Joe, one of Catwoman’s “agents,” in the nighttime colors of the scene. Overall, though, it’s a good looking comic.

This book walks a thin edge – part superhero, part action, part crime drama. Fortunately, these are all genres that Ed Brubaker handles very well. I didn’t jump onto the book at the same time he did, I’ve only been with it for six months or so, but they’ve been six solidly entertaining months. This is the most this title has had me anticipating the next issue yet, and that’s saying something.

Rating: 7/10

Demon Knights #1

September 23, 2011

Title: Seven Against the Dark

Writer: Paul Cornell
Pencils: Diogenes Neves
Inks: Oclair Albert
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover Artist: Tony Daniel & Tomeu Morey
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Comics

In the days after the fall of Camelot, the mystical denizens of what would later become the DC Universe were scattered to the four winds. A woman calling herself the Questing Queen, with her ally Mordru by her side, is marching north conquering kingdom after kingdom. In the first issue of this New 52 series, a group of classic mystical characters are assembled in a really classic fashion to take a stand against her.

It’s funny, that word “classic.” There seems to be a very thin line between “classic” and “cliché,” and the biggest difference is whether or not the thing you’re talking about is cool. This book is cool enough to escape that “cliché” label, as writer Paul Cornell takes a page from every Dungeons and Dragons module ever written and has his tea assemble for the first time in a tavern, just in time to bond over a mission. And it’s quite the group he’s assembled here as well. We don’t realy get to see much of the mysterious Horsewoman yet, but old friends and foes like Jason Blood, Madame Xanadu, the Shining Knight (based, it seems on the Grant Morrison/Seven Soldiers redux version) and – in a surprise – Vandal Savage all make for an intriguing blend of hero and presumptive villain. It’s hard to imagine Vandal Savage truly being a hero, but in these centuries before he’s established his long-running rivalries with the DCU’s champions, he may accidentally wind up doing some good if he’s not careful.

Neves and Albert manage to draw a book with a very strong, very effective fantasy bent, while still mixing in plenty of the visuals and action we’ve come to expect from supeheroes. This is a title that can sit in either camp, but will definitely have some cross-genre appeal. Fans of fantasy who may not be so interested in the modern DCU will find something to like here, and fans of the New 52 looking for its origins will want to see how the universe started to come together.

Rating: 8/10

Superman (1939 Series) #712

June 23, 2011

Title: Lost Boy: A Tale of Krypto the Superdog

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Rick Leonardi
Inks: Jonathan Sibal
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Comicraft
Cover: Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Dave Stewart
Editor: Matt Idelson         
Publisher: DC Comics

Well… this is odd. With just three issues left in this run of Superman, DC decided to pull the scheduled story for this issue, and instead replaced it with the long-lost but never-seen Krypto story that Kurt Busiek and Rick Leonardi write about five years ago. This issue is set shortly after the events of Infinite Crisis. Superboy is dead, and Superman is coping with the loss of his powers. Back in Smallville, the last superhero from the Kent farm, Krypto, is in mourning.

This is actually a really good issue. It’s mostly wordless, showcasing Krypto’s true loneliness. I wasn’t really big on Rick Leonardi’s previous work with the Superman family, but he absolutely nails this issue. He draws a great Krypto, first of all, and ha manages to get across the emotional impact of his loss. You look at this poor dog and feel the pain, the agony that he’s left in, with both of his masters gone. The final panel is one of the saddest moments ever drawn into a comic book, and the fact that it feels so sad is exactly what makes it so good.

But man, it’s an odd choice to put here. First of all, why didn’t they run this five years ago, when it would have still been relevant? And second, why run it now at all? As much as I enjoyed it and as much as I’m glad we finally got to see it, it still feels oddly out of place.

Rating: 8/10

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #184

October 10, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Road to Hell (War Games Act III Part 2)

Every mobster in Gotham City is rioting, and Batman’s team may not be enough to hold them back.

Writer: Dylan Horrocks
Pencils: Brad Walker
Inks: Troy Nixey
Colors: Javier Rodriguez
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Brian Haberlin
Publisher: DC Comics

This is yet another wonderful chapter in one of the best Batman storylines in recent memory. The gang war has been funneled into one place where it was supposed to end – but Batman’s inside man has been replaced by an imposter, and he turns the tables on the dark knight.

This issue is almost one big fight scene, but it’s a good one. As Batman’s crew dives into the stadium to try to save him, outside Commissioner Akins has had his fill of costumed vigilantes in this city – he wants Batman’s head just as much as the criminals. The heroes this issue are beaten, battered and worn down nearly to the breaking point, and it’s fantastic.

Brad Walker does a fantastic job on the artwork. The grit, determination and outright anger on Batman’s face for most of this issue is conveyed especially well. It takes talent to draw a good fight scene. It takes even more talent to draw a fight scene in the midst of a crazed mob. The artwork easily picks up the crazy, frantic pace of the story. I’ve also got to give credit to Brian Haberlin for a great cover. He gives us a Batman that looks like he’s just gone through one level of Hell and is staring down the next eight. It’s great.

This has been a great storyline, and as we head into the home stretch, we’re seeing how drastically Gotham City is going to change as a result. This is a crossover that means something. That’s a rare thing, and a welcome one.

Rating: 8/10

Gotham Central #17

March 9, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Life is Full of Disappointments Part Two

The GCPD continues to track a killer, but Detective Procjnow’s mind is somewhere else.

Writer: Greg Rucka
Art: Greg Scott
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Michael Lark
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue is the perfect example of what makes Gotham Central one of the best comic books you’re not reading. (I know you’re not reading it, don’t roll your eyes at me, young man.) Last issue a young woman was found dead, poisoned. This issue, another one dies. As Detectives Tommy Burke and Dagmar Procjnow take up the case, though, it becomes increasingly obvious that Procjnow’s thoughts are not on the mystery at hand, but on her son, who is making his debut as a professional musician… and who neglected to invite her to the performance.

This issue has the two things Greg Rucka does best – a mystery and a character drama. As Burke and Procjnow follow leads to track down the toxin that is killing innocent women, you get a sense of the pain Procjnow is trying not to let show at the fact that her son has essentially shut her out from one of the most important nights of his life. Burke shows more facets of his personality as well, becoming more than a stock cop drama character and showing real compassion and emotion for his partner.

If there’s any downside to this issue, which hasn’t been as big an obstacle in previous issues of Gotham Central, it’s that the police jargon gets a little confusing at points. Reading over it, you can pick up most of what they’re saying by context, but this is a title that could use a glossary (or even a few of those handy footnotes comic books used to use, remember those?).

Greg Scott is a fine fill-in for regular artist Michael Lark, who is taking this arc off. He manages to convey the urban feel of Gotham City without spiraling it into a cartoony version of the town. It almost feels like this issue takes place in a different world than the bat-universe. In fact, the only scene that features a superhero character at all turns out to be quite jarring, as though that character doesn’t exactly belong visually. There is one scene that Scott should have played with a bit more, as the angles he chooses makes it a little difficult to tell who is saying what. Other than that, the art is pretty much flawless, and just what you expect from this title.

Gotham Central is the book to give to people who don’t like superheroes. Yeah, occasionally someone in spandex drops by, but the story is never about them, it’s about the cops, the mystery and the relationships between people trying to do their job in a city where a Bat-Signal can pop into the sky on any given night. It’s a fantastic drama, and a book that is sorely overlooked.

Rating: 8/10

Action Comics #900

May 28, 2011

Title: The Black Ring Finale/Reign of Doomsday

Writers: Paul Cornell, Damon Lindelof, Paul Dini, Geoff Johns, David S. Goyer, Richard Donner, Derek Hoffman
Art: Pete Woods, Jesus Merino, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Rags Morales, Ardian Syaf, Jamal Igle, Jon Sibal, Gary Frank, Ryan Sook, RB Silva, Rob Lean, Miguel Sepulveda, Matt Camp
Colorist: Brad Anderson, Blond, Java Tarfaglia, Paul Mounts
Letterers: Rob Leigh, John J. Hill
Cover: David Finch
Editor: Matt Idelson                  
Publisher: DC Comics

For the better part of a year now, Lex Luthor has been seeking the secret of the Black Ring, an enormous source of power that he craves more than anything. Finally, last month, he defeated Brainiac and made that power his own. Also, over the past few months, the hideous beast called Doomsday has been storming the DC Universe, abducting those who wear the shield of Superman – Steel, Superboy, Supergirl, the Eradicator, and the Cyborg Superman. Now, with both of these threats converging, Superman makes his triumphant return to Action Comics. Is it in time, though, to save the day?

As I’ve come to expect from Paul Cornell, the main story here is really fantastic. The fateful confrontation between Superman and Lex Luthor is one of the best in recent memory, tracing the adventures of both Superman and Lex to show what truly makes each man what he is. It’s powerful stuff, and by the end there can be no question about exactly who these two men are, what makes them tick, and what will forever keep them separate. The finale of the story, leading into the next arc of Action Comics, is a little clichéd, but not the sort of thing that really hurt this issue or the fantastic Black Ring storyline at all.

This being a ginormous 96-page anniversary special, we also get a wealth of back-up features. In “Life Support,” Damon Lindelof and Ryan Sook look at the final days of Krypton. It’s a Jor-El story, extremely sad and extremely powerful. Paul Dini has an interesting little story with “Autobiography,” where Superman encounters an ancient being facing a fate that may one day be Kal-El’s own. It’s a good tale that provides some nice food for thought. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank give us the brief “Friday Night in the 21^st Century,” a rapid tale about Lois, Clark and the Legion of Super-Heroes. This creative team was with both Superman and the Legion for far too brief a time, and I do wish we could see them all together again.

This finally brings us to the elephant in the issue, David. S. Goyer and Miguel Sepulveda’s “The Incident.” If you’re not a regular reader of this title and you heard about it at all, chances are it’s because of this story, in which Superman decides to renounce his American citizenship, presumably because he doesn’t want to be seen as an instrument of U.S. policy. A lot of people were upset over this story, but for several reasons, it’s kind of antiquated already. First of all, since this book came out there have been at least two other comics featuring Superman embracing his American heritage. That further seems to indicate that this was just a brief story, something to fill pages with a name creator, not intended to be followed up on. Second, it’s a weak story. It makes Superman seem… well… stupid. He’s a reporter, for Heaven’s sake, does he really think that showing up at the U.N. and making this announcement would endear him to anyone? The people of the United States would be outraged, and the enemies of the U.S. that he doesn’t want to antagonize would call it a political trick and continue to be antagonized. Superman is simply too smart for this story to make any sense. As a result, we’re left with a story that feels like the creator’s weak attempt at pushing forth his own political agenda in a story that will have no consequences on future stories whatsoever.

“Only Human” is the final story in the volume, and it’s an odd one. It’s a screenplay written by Richard Donner, director of the first Superman movie (and one time co-writer of this series) and Derek Hoffman, with storyboards by Matt Camp. It’s an okay story, one that feels very appropriate for Superman, but it’s more of an oddity than anything else. The book wraps it all up with a fantastic pin-up by Brian Stelfreeze which shows Superman through the ages, including an American flag grasped in his hands in the final piece of the sequence. So take that, Goyer.

Overall, it’s a great issue, with just that one poorly-chosen story to hurt the package.

Rating: 7/10